Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee wins gold at Commonwealth Games with record-setting performance
Canada’s Evan Dunfee won the men’s 10-kilometre race walk with a record-setting performance on Sunday for the country’s 23rd gold medal of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
It was 3.35┬аseconds faster than his previous national record of 38:39.72┬аset in June┬а2021 at the┬аHarry Jerome Track Classic.
Dunfee┬аfell behind at the halfway point,┬аbut he moved up from fifth place and took┬аthe lead in the closing stages. It’s┬аhis first Commonwealth Games medal in his third appearance.┬а
WATCH l Dunfee┬аtops podium in men’s race walk:
The Richmond, B.C. native’s time of 38:36.37 set a Games record as well as broke his own Canadian record.
“To believe in myself today as much as my friends and family back home believed in me. That was the goal for today, to just come in here and have that same belief as everyone else has in me, and back myself, and that’s what I did and I’m thrilled,”┬аDunfee said.
Sunday’s race was a huge change for Dunfee, as┬аit was held on the track in┬аAlexander┬аStadium.
“That was amazing, to come out here, be in the stadium, we’ve never experienced anything like this as race walkers,” he said.
Dunfee’s victory comes after a tough season that saw him struggle with a nagging hamstring injury and lack of motivation largely around the elimination of the 50-kilometre event, in which he won bronze at both last summer’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2019 world championships.
Dunfee had lobbied fiercely to keep the event, but it was eventually scrapped from the world and Olympic programs.
Dunfee┬аfinished sixth in the 35km race at the World Athletics Championships┬аlast month in Eugene, Ore. He also holds the Canadian record in the 50km┬аevent.
Canada has┬аalso won┬а29┬аsilver and 33┬аbronze medals for a total of 85┬аmedals┬аat the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which has┬аthem┬аthird┬аin the┬аstandings. The┬аGames conclude on Monday.
